telling bone stems from horn

[irishearl]

Years ago bought from an online seller a 117 year-old S&G bulldog with threaded tenon. He advertised it as having a bone stem. it's a yellowish tan color, (sorry don't do pics). Never seen a horn stem in person but wonder if horn is what he meant. How do you tell the difference? thanks.

 

[pitchfork]

It's almost certainly horn, not bone. I've seen Salmon & Gluckstein pipes with horn stems, but never bone. The threaded tenon is probably bone, though.
Horn, unlike bone, is striated. If you look closely, you can usually see the strands running through it. And usually horn will be streaked rather than perfectly solid in color.

 

[mso489]

No expertise in this, but I think bone is more porous and would show at least slight texturing from that.

 

[clickklick]

Listen to pitchfork. The tenon is bone, the stem is horn.

 

[irishearl]

Yep, do see some slight striation. Thanks.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Pitchfork has it. Horn is actually rather like heavily compressed hair hence the striations. If broken, the exposed ends are a mass of very fine hairs.
Regards,
Jay.